A trove of top-secret documents and confidential data on foreign governments could be trapped inside the doomed Bayesian superyacht after the $40 million vessel capsized last month, killing its billionaire owner and six others last month, according to a report.
Italian prosecutors ordered heightened security around the sunken boat to protect the sensitive information that they believe was stored in water-tight safes before the Aug. 19 tragedy, sources told CNN.
Among the loot are two super-encrypted hard drives that hold highly classified information, including passcodes and other sensitive data, tied to a number of Western intelligence services, an official involved in the salvage plans said.
They likely belonged to Lynch, who was associated with British, American and other intelligence services through his various companies, including the cyber security company he founded, Darktrace.
He also served as an adviser to two British prime ministers on science, technology and cyber security during their tenures.
Shipwreck survivors previously told prosecutors that Lynch — dubbed the British Steve Jobs — “did not trust cloud services” and always kept data drives in a secure compartment of the yacht wherever he sailed, a source told CNN.
The information could be of interest to foreign governments, including Russia and China, prompting prosecutors to request that the yacht be guarded by both above-surface and underwater surveillance.
“A formal request has been accepted and implemented for additional security of the wreckage until it can be raised,” an official with the Sicilian civil protection authority confirmed to CNN.
If approved, the wreckage will be monitored consistently until it is raised in the coming weeks as part of a criminal probe against the ship’s captain and two of his staff members for charges of manslaughter and negligent shipwreck.
Lynch, his 18-year-old daughter Hannah and five others were killed when a sudden squall of tornado-like waterspouts pummeled the superyacht, causing it to sink.
The other victims included the ship’s chef, Ricardo Thomas, New York City attorney Christopher Morvillo and his wife, Neda; and Morgan Stanley executive Jonathan Bloomer and his wife, Judy.
Angela Bacares, Lynch’s wife and Hannah’s mother, was among 15 people who escaped the 184-foot luxury yacht.
The exact cause of the yacht’s sinking remains unknown, however, Italian prosecutors are probing whether the actions of Captain James Cutfield, 51, may have led to tragedy.
Under maritime law, a ship’s captain assumes full responsibility for safety of the vessel, its crew and all passengers.
